All I Have to Do is Dream
by Strawberrykin
Summary: This is a mushy, romantic Season 9/Ross and Rachel story. :o)
1. Dream, Dream, Dream

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All I Have to Do is Dream

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Author's Note: 

This fanfiction takes place early in Season 9. Imagine that after the Season 8 finale, Joey told Rachel that he wasn't proposing--and that the engagement ring wasn't his. Ross didn't catch Joey "proposing" to Rachel at the hospital. He just took the flowers to her after deciding that he couldn't propose. Joey simply put the ring back into Ross's jacket pocket, and nobody mentioned the ring to Ross. Rachel and Joey are still close, and the non-proposal has been forgotten. Ross, however, has started to realize that he still has feelings for Rachel. Rachel has feelings for Ross, too…but neither knows how the other feels.

Disclaimer: I don't own Friends or any of the characters. I don't own any of the songs included in this fiction, either. This story was written purely for fun and entertainment purposes.

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Chapter One: Dream, Dream, Dream

Ross Geller stood by his apartment door, fumbling for his key. His arms were laden with a stack of student essays, and his briefcase was tucked precariously under his arm. He finally managed to extract the keys from his jacket pocket. Through an amazing feat of balance, he even managed to unlock the door without dropping either the essays or his briefcase.

Ross stepped into the apartment and tossed everything onto the couch. With a sigh, he flopped down next to the pile and began to massage his temples. It had been a long, tiring, stressful day. Suddenly the aroma of roast beef wafted into his nostrils, and he sniffed the air disbelievingly. _I'm hallucinating roast beef now, _he thought ruefully. _I must be working too hard!_

A clear, sweet voice rang out from the kitchen. "Ross, sweetie, is that you?" Rachel called.

Ross rose from the couch and ambled into the kitchen. Rachel, wearing an apron, was reaching into the oven and pulling out--yes--a pot roast. One-month old Emma was sitting in her carrier on the countertop, watching her mother sleepily.

"Rach…you cooked!" said Ross in a shocked tone.

Rachel carefully placed the roast on the table, then shook a spoon at Ross warningly. "Yes, I cooked," she retorted, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I _can_ cook, you know. Besides, little Emma here is going to be eating more than just formula and baby food someday. I need to be able to cook actual food."

Ross held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm sorry. It smells wonderful…really."

Rachel grinned at him. "Thanks. Why don't you wash up for dinner? Everything's ready."

Ross kissed Emma on the forehead, and she gurgled in reply. Then he quickly made his way to the bathroom, where he began to wash his hands. _It's just like we're married, _he thought, and smiled broadly. _I come home, and Rach is here, cooking dinner…our daughter is watching her from the counter…it's everything I've always wanted…everything I've ever dreamed of. _Then he shook his head, as if to shake the thought from his mind. _Forget it, Geller, _he thought. _You may still have feelings for Rachel, but she doesn't love you. You're just friends… _

"Ross?" called Rachel. "Dinner's on the table!"

Ross hurriedly dried his hands and returned to the kitchen. Rachel was already seated at one end of the table, and Ross caught himself staring at her as he sat down across from her. _Motherhood really agrees with her, _he thought. _She has never looked more beautiful. _

Emma slept peacefully while her parents ate. As soon as Ross finished eating, he jumped to his feet. "Great dinner," he said sincerely. "I'll wash the dishes…you must be tired."

Rachel smiled at him gratefully. "That's sweet of you, but I'll help. You look tired, too. Let me put this little angel to bed, and I'll be right back." She gently cradled the still-slumbering Emma in her arms and carried the infant off to her bedroom.

Ross had filled one side of the double sink with water and dish detergent, and was washing the dishes when Rachel returned. She promptly filled the other side of the sink with warm water, and reached for a soapy dish to rinse. As Ross handed her a plate, their fingers touched. Ross felt his fingers tingle with electricity as they met Rachel's, and he quickly let go of the plate. Rachel took the plate silently. Ross looked away quickly, and missed the hurt look that flickered across her face.

Soon the dishes were all washed, dried, and put away. Even Monica would have been impressed. "So…" said Rachel, "do you have a lot of work to do tonight?"

"Nah," Ross replied. "I have some essays to grade, but I'm going to save them for the weekend. Do you want to go out…maybe visit Monica? I could watch Emma."

Rachel looked disappointed. "No, thanks. I thought I'd stay in tonight. Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Ross yawned--a loud, fake yawn. "Maybe another time, Rach. I'm exhausted. If you don't need me to watch Em, I think I'll turn in early."

"Sure...go ahead. Maybe I'll read for a few hours," she replied.

"Okay. Wake me if you need me."

"I will." 

Ross kissed her on the top of the head. Rachel leaned against the counter. She closed her eyes as Ross walked away, a deep sigh escaping her lips.

*******

Ross was lying in his bed. He really _was _tired. But it was only 8:00, too early to go to sleep. _I should've watched a movie with Rachel,_ he thought. _She looked so disappointed when I said no. But I can't stand being alone with her like that, knowing that we aren't together. It's too hard._

Ross stared at the ceiling, thinking about Rachel and Emma. After an hour, he had drifted off to sleep, his mind still spinning. 

*******

Ross awoke early, feeling rested and content. He had slept well and felt at peace with the world. He tried to stretch his arms, and discovered that his left arm was trapped under something…or, more accurately, _someone, _someone who was snuggled against his side_. _He turned quickly and was shocked by what he saw lying next to him.

It was Rachel. She was asleep, and his left arm was curled protectively around her shoulders. Ross tried unsuccessfully to pull his arm free. _How did Rachel end up in my bed? _he wondered frantically. _Nothing could have happened…I went to bed early, and when I woke up, she was here! _

His arm was completely trapped. For a moment, he surrendered to the joy of having Rachel asleep beside him. Using his free hand, he smoothed her hair back, and gently kissed her forehead. Suddenly her eyes opened. Ross expected her to be shocked, or at least surprised, to find herself in his bed. 

Instead, Ross was surprised…surprised when Rachel rose slightly and kissed him squarely on the lips. "Good morning, sweetie," she said. 

*******

**__**

To be continued…


	2. Sleepwalk

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All I Have to Do is Dream

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Chapter Two: Sleepwalk

At first, Ross returned her kiss eagerly. His lips had been longing to kiss Rachel's for so long that he couldn't control himself. Then he broke away, knowing in his heart that this was a mistake of some kind. Rachel surely didn't mean to be in his bed, kissing him.

"Rachel, what's going on here?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

She looked back at him in a bewildered fashion, her eyes widening in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He laughed humorlessly. "Since when do we sleep in the same bed?"

Rachel laughed, too, but she sounded genuinely amused. "Oh, I don't know, Ross," she said, smiling at him. "Just for the last six years…ever since we got married." She sat up in bed and kissed the tip of his nose. "Are you feeling okay?"

Ross stared at her, his confusion mounting. Rachel was obviously either ill or extremely confused. "Married," he echoed. "We're married. You and I. Married for six years. Of course…how could I forget something like that?"

Rachel laughed again. "Quit joking around," she said. "The kids will be awake soon, and you know we promised to take them to the amusement park today."

Rachel got out of bed, and Ross noticed that she was wearing a lacy pink nightie. But that wasn't what caught his attention--it was her stomach. Because Rachel appeared to be at least six months pregnant.

_It's a dream, _he told himself. _It's only a dream. _He carefully pinched his right arm with his left hand. "Ouch!" he screamed. Rachel, who was dressing in a maternity dress, turned to stare at him.

"Uh, muscle cramp," he said by way of explanation, gazing at her very pregnant tummy in wonder. He glanced down at his left hand, wondering whether he should try pinching himself again. A gold wedding band glinted on his ring finger. Ross Geller immediately passed out.

*******

"Ross! Ross!" Ross's eyelids fluttered open, and he saw Rachel leaning over the bed, concern etched in her features. "Thank goodness!" she said, relief evident in her tone. "Are you okay? Do we need to go to the emergency room?"

Ross smiled weakly. He was fully awake, and Rachel was six months pregnant with his child. And she was his wife. "I'm fine," he said reassuringly. "I'm just feeling a little strange today...maybe I didn't get enough sleep." _If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up,_ he thought. 

Rachel kissed him gently. "I think we'll skip the amusement park today. The kids will understand…and we can go next weekend." She sat on the bed next to Ross and held his hand. "Do you need something to eat or drink? A cold compress? Anything?"

Ross squeezed her hand and shook his head. "No, I'm fine…really. Wait--wait a minute…did you say _kids_? As in, more than one kid?"

Rachel looked worried again. "Um, yes. Kids. Our kids…Emma and Christopher. Remember?"

Ross could see that Rachel was beginning to seriously wonder about his sanity. Truth be told, he was beginning to wonder about his sanity, too…but he didn't want to worry her. "Of course I remember," he replied. "Just kidding."

Just then the bedroom door burst open and two children raced into the room. The older child was a girl of about five. She had brownish-blonde hair and brown eyes, and bore a striking resemblance to Rachel. The boy appeared to be around three. He had Ross's dark hair and brown eyes. "Daddy!" they squealed in unison, and both jumped onto the bed beside their mother.

"Daddy's not feeling very well today," said Rachel gently. "Emma, take Chris into the living room, and the two of you can watch cartoons for a little while."

"Okay, Mommy," the little girl retorted. She quickly kissed Ross on the cheek. "I hope you feel better, Daddy," she said sweetly. She took her brother's hand and led him out of the room. 

"Bye, Daddy!" called the little boy--his son--loudly. 

"Bye," said Ross, his heart swelling. He couldn't believe that the two beautiful children were his--his and Rachel's. 

Rachel was still clutching his hand. With her other hand she was absentmindedly stroking her protruding belly. "Do you want me to go so you can rest?" she asked, starting to rise from the bed.

"No!" said Ross desperately. "Stay and talk to me." He didn't want Rachel to leave…afraid that if she did, his beautiful new reality would fade away.

She sat back down and smiled at him gently. "I won't leave, then," she said. "I'll stay and talk to you until you fall asleep, okay? Then I'll take the kids over to visit their cousins."

"Okay," he agreed in a small voice. Rachel crawled into bed beside him and lay her head on his chest. 

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Ross draped his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled closer to him. "Let's talk about the last seven years," he said. "I know…let's play a game. Pretend that I have amnesia, and tell me all about the last seven years. Everything."

"Well…okay. If that's really what you want to hear. You just try to rest, sweetie."

Ross nodded and tightened his arm around Rachel as she began to tell him the story of the past seven years of their lives.

*******

"Well, you and I started dating about eight years ago," began Rachel. "After about a year of dating, you became insanely jealous of Mark, a man I worked with. On our one-year anniversary, we had a huge fight and I suggested that we take a break."

"I don't know what I was thinking. Luckily, you insisted that we could never take a break from something as important as our love. We worked everything out, and later that night, you proposed to me. I said yes--of course." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You're the only man I've ever loved."

"We got married a year later. It was such a beautiful ceremony. And Monica and Chandler fell in love at our wedding…that's how romantic it was. Not long after the wedding, we moved here, to our own house, to raise our family away from the city." 

"We had Em a year after we got married, and two years later, along came Chris." She patted her tummy, and Ross gently placed his hand beside hers. He felt a tiny flutter--the baby was kicking.

"Now we're waiting for Baby Geller number three," she continued. "You want to name her Ruth--no chance, by the way. I want to name her Megan. You're working at the museum and teaching part-time at the university. I work at Ralph Lauren as a vice-president. And…well, I guess that's about it. I've been amazingly happy for the last seven years, Ross. And it's because I've got you."

Ross kissed Rachel with every bit of longing that he had been holding back for the past several months. She kissed him back with equal passion, then snuggled back down beside him. Ross kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Rachel," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she replied. 

"What about the others?" he asked.

"Oh, you want to hear about Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe?" she asked.

"Yes…I think it might help me drift off to sleep."

"Okay…"

*******

"Well, like I said, Monica and Chandler got together at our wedding. Two years later, they got married. They have two little boys. Nicholas is three, and Michael is eighteen months. They live a few blocks away."

"Joey finally got his big break about three years ago. He's been in Hollywood ever since, making movies. It's weird that Joey is such a big star now, isn't it? He's been dating Kate, the actress he met when they were in that horrible play together…remember, the one about the space ship. I think Joey might actually marry Kate someday."

"Phoebe still lives in the city. She's still writing songs, still singing at Central Perk, and now she owns her own massage parlor. She's engaged to David, the scientist guy. When he came back from Minsk last year, they realized that they belong together. Their wedding is in December, and I really hope Megan can wait until _after _the wedding to make an appearance." She patted her tummy again. "She's due at the beginning of January, you know."

"Is that all you wanted to hear?" she inquired. But there was no answer. She looked into her husband's face, and saw that he was fast asleep, a look of pure contentment on his face. Rachel kissed him on the forehead and crept silently out of the room. She decided that she would take the kids to Monica and Chandler's for the afternoon…Ross apparently needed some rest.

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	3. I Only Want to Be With You

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All I Have to Do is Dream

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Chapter Three: I Only Want to Be With You

Ross was half awake. With one arm, he reached across the bed, searching for something--someone--who wasn't there. "Rach?" he called weakly. His eyes popped open. Instinctively he felt his left hand. The wedding band was gone. "Oh, nooooo!" he groaned. It had all been a dream--a beautiful, perfect dream. He closed his eyes and tried to fall back into the dream, but it was gone. "NOOOO!" he groaned again, burrowing his head under his pillow.

Rachel heard a loud moaning sound coming from Ross's bedroom. Pulling on her robe, she rushed into his room. "Ross! Are you okay?" Ross was lying in his bed with his pillow over his head. 

Ross removed the pillow from his head and stared at Rachel. She was slim, beautiful…and clearly not pregnant with their third child.

"ROSS!" she said, this time more loudly. "Are you okay?" 

"No," he said quietly. "I could've been okay, but now I'm not."

Rachel stared at him. "Do you need to go to the doctor?" she asked.

Ross shook his head slowly. "No. I don't think a doctor can help me."

Rachel sat beside him on the bed and took his hand. "Ross, sweetie, you're scaring me," she said gently. "Tell me you're okay." Ross sat up and looked into Rachel's face. So many expressions were there…concern, fear…and maybe even love. His eyes met hers, and before he knew what had happened, their lips had met in a sweet, tender kiss. Rachel broke away from Ross, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed.

"I think you need to lie back down," she said shakily. "I don't think you know what you're doing."

Ross smiled for the first time that morning. "Yes, I do," he replied. He suddenly saw with perfect clarity what he needed to do. "Could you and Emma go to Monica and Chandler's for a few hours?" he asked. "I need to…uh…rest."

Rachel looked slightly hurt. "Sure, whatever you need," she replied.

She got up to leave the room. "Rach…would you have dinner with me tonight?" he asked her softly. "Monica would be happy to watch Em for a few hours."

Rachel met his gaze, a tiny smile on her lips. "Sure," she said. "Pick me up at Monica's at 6:00."

*******

At 6:00 sharp, Ross knocked on Monica's door. Rachel answered the door, gorgeous in a short ice-blue dress. Ross handed her a bouquet of white lilies. "You're breathtaking, Rachel," he told her. 

"Thanks," she said shyly. Ross wore a dark blue suit. "You look great, too" she added, smiling at him.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and took his arm. He led her to Monica's Porsche, which he had borrowed for the evening.

*******

Rachel was surprised when Ross stopped at the museum. "Are we seeing an exhibit before dinner?" she asked.

Ross smiled. "Not exactly. I just have to pick something up…will you come in with me?"

Rachel nodded. "Sure." She followed him into the museum. 

In the lobby, Ross stopped her. "Actually, Rach, I lied. I brought you here because I have a surprise for you. Will you let me blindfold you?"

Rachel smiled with anticipation. "Okay." 

Ross gently tied a white silk scarf over her eyes. He then took her arm again and began to lead her toward the back of the museum.

"Here we are!" he announced. He untied the scarf and it fell away from Rachel's face. She looked around in awe. They were standing in the museum's planetarium, which was filled with lilies. 

"The planetarium? And lilies?" she said inquiringly, and their eyes met meaningfully, both of them remembering. 

Ross nodded. "The planetarium, and lilies…and there's more." He pulled a tiny remote control from his pocket and pressed two buttons. Instantly the lights dimmed, and soft music began to play. Fred Astaire's voice filled the room, singing _The Way You Look Tonight_.

The two sat on the floor. "There's going to be a special show tonight, just for you," Ross said softly. "Look up." He pressed another button on the remote control, and suddenly the stars on the domed ceiling rearranged themselves into words:

**RACHEL, YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING. WILL YOU MARRY ME?**

Ross knelt by Rachel's side and took her hands in his. "Rachel, I realize that we haven't dated in years. But I was wondering if you'd consider spending the rest of your life with me. There is nothing in the world I want more than to be by your side for the rest of my life. You and Emma are my life…and I love you both more than anything. Rachel…will you marry me?"

Rachel was sobbing silently, tears rolling down her cheeks freely. She nodded emphatically, too choked up to speak. Ross slid his grandmother's ring onto her left hand ring finger. He gazed into her face, and gently began to wipe her tears away. "So we're going to get married?" he asked, suddenly unsure whether she had actually accepted or if this was another beautiful dream that would be snatched away from him.

Rachel found her voice. "Ross, I feel like we've already spent a lifetime together. We have a baby together. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife for the rest of my life. I love you so much."

Ross stood and pulled Rachel to her feet. "I love you, too," he whispered. As Fred Astaire's voice faded away, Elvis Presley's voice began to croon _Can't Help Falling in Love_. "Care to dance?" Ross asked softly.

"I thought you'd never ask," she whispered back, and they began to dance. 

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Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can't help

Falling in love with you…

Ross and Rachel stopped dancing and stared into each other's eyes. Time had frozen, and for the moment, they were the only two people in the world. Their hands were clasped together as their lips met in the most passionate kiss they had ever shared. The kiss seemed to go on forever.

When they broke away from each other, Rachel looked up at Ross, her eyes shining with love. "Why did it take us so long to get here?" she asked. 

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'm just glad we're here now." Rachel twirled her engagement ring around on her finger, then stood on tiptoe to kiss Ross lightly on the lips again.

"Me, too," she replied. "I've known for months now that I never stopped loving you. I just didn't think you felt the same way about me."

Ross took Rachel into his arms again. "I've always loved you, Rachel," he said. "You're my dream girl."

And as their lips met again, a lone shooting star streaked across the domed ceiling of the planetarium. 

*******

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THE END

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